The federal CFS Advisory Committee’s next report to the Department of Health & Human Services – for consideration by the Secretary of Health – is scheduled for two all-day sessions, Monday and Tuesday, November 21 and 22, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Members of the public with photo ID are invited to attend, “limited to space available.” Location: Room 800 of the Hubert Humphrey Building at 200 Independence Ave. SW. Phone 202/690-7694 for any special accommodations.

The agenda? Though HHS indicates it will post the finalized agenda of the session online (at http://www.hhs.gov/advcomcfs), at this writing no agenda was evident, and observers are interested to learn how HHS will respond to certain of the three-year-old CFSAC’s recommendations going forward.

The CFSAC – a group of 11 appointed experts mandated in 2003 – convenes twice a year with Department of Health & Human Services officials to update and advise them on issues of:n CFS research results and needs,n Public and physician education, andn Patient care needs and access.

A selected handful of patients and advocates who petitioned for the opportunity by November 13 will also be allowed to give 5-minute presentations and/or present printed handouts. (Our November 1 CFS Newsletter included one patient’s testimony at the last CFSAC session on the desperate need for CFS-educated physicians, at http://www.prohealth.com/library/showarticle.cfm?id=7449 )